


Can I Still Call It A White Lie?

by WhyAreAllUsernamesTaken



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Angst, Blood, Character Death, Gen, Kidnapping, M/M, Murder-Suicide, POV Multiple, Sad Ending, Stray Kids Secret Agents, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:28:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27439600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhyAreAllUsernamesTaken/pseuds/WhyAreAllUsernamesTaken
Summary: ‘’We all missed you too Lix,’’ Chan managed to croak out, trying to smile back despite the tears starting to cloud his vision, ‘’We missed you so, so much,’’And as he was sitting there on his knees on the cold and hard concrete, holding Felix’s thin and bony  body in his lap, he wondered how he was going to break it to the boy.How was he going to tell his precious Felix that his cousin and his best friend weren’t coming at all? How was he going to tell him that none of the others would be coming?How was Chan going to tell him that all there was left of them was a pile of cold bodies and puddles of blood?---Where team Stray are one the hunt for their abducted team-member, chasing ghosts and slowly rotting from the inside out in the process.
Relationships: Bang Chan/Lee Felix, Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Platonic Everyone/Everyone
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	Can I Still Call It A White Lie?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [InoruMarufuji](https://archiveofourown.org/users/InoruMarufuji/gifts).



> Another one.
> 
> Lina, we be making a whole birthday-weekend out of this.  
>  ~~(we just gonna ignore that I changed my mind about something and deleted quite a lot this morning right as I was about to do the final edit)~~
> 
> so, 
> 
> BIRTHDAY WEEEEKEEEND!
> 
> Anyways, here is the real shit. All Shall Fade was obviously an appatizer. Something to read during breakfast.
> 
> I hope all the death will make you happy and if you will excuse me, I need to write some fluffy Minsung to clean the pallet and finish this fic with a fresh mind.

When Chan was little, all he thought about were swimming competitions and the meat his dad prepared on the barbeque and the endless blue skies paired with fluffy clouds he would look at from the playground near his home.

He would spend his days going to school and hanging out with his friends, playing soccer under the unrelenting Australian sun until the tan bordered _burned_. 

Those were great times, especially when he thought back at them. 

Because he couldn’t remember the last time he had spend enjoying being out in the sun or worrying about simple things like what his dad was going to make for dinner or what clothes his mom had bought for him from the outlet near the beach.

If he had the chance, he would go back to his home country and visit, but he was busy and honestly, the dead aren’t really waiting for you. And even if they are, they don’t have anywhere else to be so they can wait a lot longer.

Who couldn’t wait though was their missing member. 

But maybe he was also already one of the dead.

The sunflower pendant on the clammy skin under Chan’s shirt had never felt this present before.

Chan didn’t get a lot of time to dwell on it because there was an awkward cough – clearly Seungmin - and his grip on his gun tensed in disappointment. 

‘’Are you sure we are at the right place?,’’ Hyunjin asked, eyes scanning the room as he lowered the gun in his hand, ‘’It looks pretty abandoned to me,’’

Chan eyed the shattered windows and the dusty concrete floor before lowering his gun as well, the rest of the team following quickly. The place was pretty big and despite the darkness of the night, it was still easy to see how _empty_ it was. 

No furniture, no people, no chairs or tables, no crates of weapons…

No Felix.

‘’There’s no way they are here,’’ Jisung mumbled angrily as he pushed his gun back into the thigh holster, ‘’I can’t believe we fell for it again,’’

There were some disgruntled noises and Chan sighed, pressing against his temples.

‘’This is the third time this month,’’ Seungmin commented offhandedly as he carefully walked through the space, ‘’What kind of game are they playing?,’’

Chan had no clue. If he had, they wouldn’t be running after ghosts. Every time they thought they knew where to go, it turned out they had long left with not a single trace. Chan didn’t understand what they were trying to even do, causing this wild goose chase. What would they benefit from that? Why not just shoot the boy?

He was grateful they hadn’t though, of course he was, because everyone’s worst fear was finding their teammate dead somewhere. Or even worse; never finding him at all.

‘’Well, great job people. We successfully found yet another building in case we want to move,’’ Minho grumbled, spinning around with his arms wide open, ‘’I call dibs on that corner in the back. I think it has a nice view. You know I’m a sucker for great views. Ask Hannie, he would know. He’s the best view,’’

Before anyone even had the chance to say something about social cues, Jisung stalked over to where the guy was standing and harshly slapped his arm.

‘’Read the room!,’’ Jisung hissed as he folded his arms, ‘’For gods sakes, our teammate is missing, my _best friend_ may I add and we spend another huge amount of our precious time chasing a dead end once again. You think it’s okay to joke around like that?,’’

Chan caught the calculating look in Minho’s eyes and he just knew it was all an act but before he could jump in, Minho pouted and scratched at Jisung’s shirt like the cat he was. The younger didn’t seem happy about it and turned his head to the side, trying to look as mad as he possibly could. 

‘’Oooh, our squirrel is mad,’’ Jeongin whispered to Hyunjin and the latter tried not to snicker.

‘’Hannie, baby, I’m sorry okay? I didn’t mean it like that. I know you miss Felix, we all do, but getting upset isn’t going to help us find him right?,’’

Chan hated it. He hated how they had gone from the top performing team all the way to the loose cannons who went above and beyond to find their captured teammate. The higher-ups were starting to side with other teams and were getting close to ordering a stop to their mad search, telling Chan that there was little hope left anyways and that they had two more months before they’d get put back into the regular system.

No one wanted that. They were all as stubborn when it came to it and no way in hell were they going to be able to just write Felix off and get back to their regular missions. Chan had brought it up before, that they had little time left, and most of them hadn't taken it well. 

Jisung hadn’t talked to him for three days, Jeongin was a bunch of anxiety whenever Chan stepped back into their apartment after a meeting, Seungmin and Hyunjin seemed to at least tolerate Chan. Minho and Changbin had been the only ones who still acted the same.

It hadn't lasted long, the blatant hostility, but it didn't feel great, getting treated like he was the bad guy despite the fact that he was just relaying what the higher-up told him. and that it was _Felix_. 

Still, he knew he didn’t have the right to be more upset or driven than the rest of them but it was so hard to remember that Felix was also Changbin’s cousin, Jisung’s best friend, Minho and Hyunjin’s dance-buddy, Seungmin’s snugglebug and Jeongin’s gaming-teacher.

‘’We should scope the place real quick just to make sure,’’ Changbin sighed before turning to Chan.

The oldest nodded his head, ‘’Better safe than sorry. You know the drill; the usual pairs, Seungmin you join the hot-headed two. Everyone is back in ten minutes,’’

They all nodded and were off before Chan could even blink, leaving him with Minho and the wind blowing through the broken windows. 

‘’Sorry,’’ Minho speaks as he nears, ‘’I did not mean to sound insensitive earlier,’’

‘’It’s okay. I know you are just trying to lighten the mood a bit. Not that it ever really works but I appreciate the effort Minho,’’ Chan smiles, gently squeezing the nape of Minho’s neck when he was close enough, ‘’Although I’d be careful because one of these days someone is gonna rip your head off,’’

Minho rolled his eyes before checking his gun, ‘’Whatever. I can handle it,’’

‘’I know you can,’’ Chan muses before motioning for Minho to follow him down the hallway, ’’but don’t ever underestimate your teammates,’’ 

+x+x+

To say Seungmin was glad when they finally got back was an understatement. It was well passed midnight and they had been on their feet ever since five the previous morning, which meant they were getting too close to 24 hours awake for it to be comfortable.

And to make matters worse; he had been stuck with Hyunjin and Jisung for the last leg of it when they scoped out yet another abandoned building. They had found little, if none, of value. The only clue that they had missed them by maybe a handful of hours was a still-smouldering pile of ashes in one of the backrooms. 

It had made Jisung fly off the handle once again and Seungmin had spend the whole way back trying to mediate between the boy and basically the rest until Changbin told him to shut up before he'd sew his mouth shut.

So Seungmin was over the moon when he finally stepped into the shower and was able to wash off all the sweat and dust and other grime that had accumulated on his body throughout the day. 

He tried not to think too hard about the fact that in a couple of hours they’d have to start over again, meaning that it was going to be another set of sleepless nights for Seungmin and Jeongin specifically, nights where they were going to be staring at brightly lit screens and pixelated security cams and trying to get into any secured system in hopes of finding something.

It already neared a year and Seungmin wasn’t sure how long they were going to be able to keep this up, not at the pace they were running at. Everyone was tired and maybe Seungmin toyed with the idea that it was time to give up before they destroyed themselves from the inside out.

Sleep had become so little that the side effects had started to kick in for real now, like constant headaches for Hyunjin, Severe lack of appetite for Jeongin, Jisung was turning back into the thirteen-year-old version of himself and was _so_ quick to fly off the handle, Minho’s empathy was starting to be almost non-existent, Seungmin himself often suffered from dizzy-spells…

And maybe Chan seemed to fare the best out of them, simply because he _had_ too, but everyone could pick up on the way he zoned out half of the time and how he sometimes felt far, far away.

They were turning into a mess, dangerously so. 

Because not only were they all dealing with some internal struggles, the family they once were was slipping away. Hyunjin and Jisung fought half of the time and whenever Changbin tried to do something about it, they would shout at him as well, which in turn made Jeongin upset and then Minho would yell at all of them to shut up...

Things like that. 

Perhaps it was like that because they had started grouping in pairs or trios instead of being one big group. Seungmin wasn’t dumb; everyone had always gravitated to particular people but at this point the divide was becoming more clear.

Even Chan, who was supposed to be the most objective one, was often found with either Minho or Hyunjin and rarely with anyone else. Specific orders were passed around through those two exclusively until everyone was informed. Even Changbin had to hear them from anyone else but Chan. The daily meetings weren’t a thing anymore. No more Chan and Changbin talking things through before getting everyone together and sit them down to go through whatever they had to.

And to be honest, Seungmin felt partially neglected and worried at the same time. 

Sometimes Seungmin was convinced he was one of the very few left who were actually trying to remind himself of the love he held for the others and the fact that they were a family, no matter how shitty things were at the moment.

Maybe Felix had been the person that had somehow kept them all glued together even though he was always in the background. Maybe it was Felix who had helped Chan be… better. Seungmin hated to admit it but at this point he was almost sure that Chan was no longer suited for the position he held. 

There was a knock on the door and Seungmin figured he had been in the shower long enough for someone to check up on him. Probably the aftermath of finding Hyunjin passed out it the shower from exhaustion not that long ago.

‘’Seungmin?,’’ a voice came through the door, obviously Changbin, ‘’You okay in there?,’’

He turned the shower off and stepped out, snatching the towel from the little hook on the wall.

‘’Yeah, I’m good hyung,’’

Now that Seungmin thought about it, Changbin was definitely better suited to lead them at the moment. 

He liked Chan, he really did, and he had been trilled to get chosen for his team.

But the fact was that Seungmin could feel like everything was going downhill.

Like they had started to rot from the inside out.

+x+x+

Jisung waddled through the hallway, shivering from the sudden cold after having been wrapped in a warm blanket and even warmer arms. It wasn’t enough for him to turn back though and he navigated through the dark before stopping in front of the last door. There was a bit of light peeking under the door and Jisung didn’t hesitate to get in.

Hyunjin was sprawled out on his back on his bed and looked up from his book when Jisung closed the door behind him, ‘’Hi? I thought you and Minho hyung were already asleep?,’’

The little bit of light next to the guy’s head was enough to make Jisung squint. After all, he had come from the dark.

Jisung grumbled under his breath and shrugged. Of course it was enough for Hyunjin to understand because they could read each other like an open book. Most of the times. 

They weren’t partners for no reason.

‘’Trouble in paradise?,’’ Hyunjin taunted and despite being over their fighting-days, Jisung really wanted to wipe that annoying smirk off the guy’s face. But he knew better than that so he ignored him as he closed the door behind him and waddled over to the extra bed in the room. 

It used to be his own but he couldn’t remember the last time he had slept there, alone. The prospect of doing so was saddening but whatever. He wasn’t a baby. 

Anyways, Seungmin and Jeongin seemed to be dead to the world so Jisung didn’t even bother being silent when he dropped himself on the bed.

‘’That’s none of your business,’’ Jisung replied, turning on his side once he was in bed so he didn’t have to face Hyunjin. 

The blankets were cold and a little stiff, something that wouldn’t help Jisung fall asleep anytime soon. He contemplated doing the walk off shame and get back into bed with Minho but his pride didn’t let him. 

‘’Did you guys fight again?,’’ Hyunjin inquired, the sound of the book closing coming from behind him as well.

Jisung didn’t feel like talking about it but Felix had always told him he should, to keep him from blowing up at some point. That didn’t mean he liked it but he didn’t want to disappoint his pixie-lixie, even if he wasn’t here at the moment.

‘’I was trying to have a meaningful conversation but somehow things escalated when I mentioned how much I miss Felix and he got angry,’’ Jisung admitted, feeling his ears heat up out of embarrassment, ‘’And then I got really angry as well and then Minho said that I needed to calm the fuck down for once and stop bothering him,’’

‘’He was probably right. You do have the tendency to be very annoying,’’

It was a seemingly meaningless jab but Jisung really wasn’t having it today.

‘’ _You_ are annoying,’’ he mumbled back, tightening his hold on the blanket. 

‘’Come on Jisung, don’t be such a child,’’ Hyunjin then sighed and somehow that did it, the first tear spilling over. 

But if there was one thing Jisung hated, it was people seeing him cry so his best next option was to deflect. Or make an attempt to.

‘’I just really miss him okay? Why does everyone pretend that it’s no big deal?,’’ Jisung almost screamed as he shot up in the bed, ‘’It hurts but as soon as I step out of my comfort zone and show any sign of being sad I either get told to either suck it up or my own fucking boyfriend makes everything worse with his stupid jokes and then gets upset when I can’t find it in me to even pretend I am cool with it,’’

Jisung fucking wanted to disappear because now he was full-on sobbing, a rather shocked Hyunjin staring back at him.

The taller was about to open his mouth but Jisung didn’t feel like talking to Hyunjin anymore.

‘’Never mind,’’ Jisung hiccupped as he threw the blanket off him, ‘’I’m going to sleep with Channie hyung. At least he understands,’’

+x+x+

Chan woke up to the sound of his door creaking open and soft footsteps pattering closer. In the past, when it had been just him, he wouldn’t have hesitated to reach for the gun under his pillow. But time had taught him to distinguish people based on something as trivial as their breathing so it was easy for him to tell that it was just a lost squirrel. 

He pried his eyes open and indeed, there was Jisung standing next to his bed.

‘’What brought you here little squirrel?,’’ Chan mumbled as he reached out to turn the lamp next to his bed.

‘’Everyone is being a meanie,’’ the boy pouted as he climbed onto the bed, cheeks clearly damp and his lashes sticking together.

The nimble and ruthless J.One was nowhere to be found, defenceless in a way he never showed anyone but Chan and Minho.

Chan chuckled under his breath and managed to help Jisung wrestle his way under the blanket.

‘’It feels like everyone is slipping away,’’ Jisung whispered once he had settled, hand folded under his head and on his side, ‘’First Felix, then the team and now I can barely recognize my own fucking boyfriend and I’m getting so tired of all of this. Sometimes I wish I had never gotten here,’’

That made Chan think about how Jisung had gotten picked up by the agency at the young age of thirteen, scrappy and bruised and _bloody_. Chan hadn’t thought much of it because in no way did the boy look remotely fit for the training program, let alone the job that followed.

He had spoken too soon because for some off reason – at the time – Jisung had come with a great skill in fighting.

And in sneaking out, it seemed.

Chan would catch glimpses of the boy sneaking out of the room they shared with about twelve other boys – Changbin and Seungmin included - at night, only to come back in the wee hours of the morning. 

So maybe sixteen-year-old Chan had followed the boy on the fifth night out of pure curiosity.

After a rather short trip on foot, the boy had gone into a very shabby building and Chan had followed with bated breath.

There had been another boy, looking slightly more nourished and a little bit taller, but almost as tiny nonetheless. Chan had looked on as Jisung knelt down next to him and pulled out scraps of food out of his make-shift bag one by one. It was strange and right when the older had opened his mouth, he made eye-contact with the other boy over Jisung’s shoulder.

The freckled boy had made a surprised sound, eyes widening in curiosity and a ghost of a hesitant smile.

When Jisung had spun around, on the other hand, had all but shouted at Chan before launching at him. For a boy so fragile-looking and a whole three years younger, Jisung had managed to knock Chan down on his back and hadn’t hesitated to punch him in the face with a bony fist.

It had baffled Chan so much that the boy had gotten a second punch in before he sprung into action and flipped them around quite effortlessly. 

Jisung had screamed and attempted to claw at his face like a ferocious animal until Chan had pinned him down properly. The boy had thrown him another surprise by suddenly turning lax before he started sobbing. At first Chan hadn’t understood what had set off the younger like that, but it had become clear soon enough that Jisung was just really scared.

_‘’P-please, not Lixie!,’’_ young Jisung had begged, _‘’Don’t hurt Lixie!,’’_

Chan was pretty sure Jisung was so stuck in his panic that he hadn't even really noticed that he was talking to Chan.

Jisung had passed out soon after that, probably exhausted. It had given Chan the opportunity to scoop him up and turn to the other boy in the room.

_‘’Hey, I’m Chan. What’s your name?,’’_

_‘’Felix,’’_ the freckled boy had mumbled, voice lower than Chan had expected it to be. 

Chan had smiled, _‘’Would you like to come too Felix? I don't want you to be alone in a place like this,’’_

The boy had looked apprehensive, not sure of whether to trust Chan or not. He had voiced those suspicions, eyes turning a lot darker when he asked Chan if he was lying to them just like all the others. 

Anyways, Chan had returned with a sleeping Jisung on his back and Felix’s hand in his own and the rest was basically history. 

It had turned out to be a _’two for the price of one’_ -thing, so Chan hated to admit it but at times it was difficult for him to see the two as separate beings. 

Especially because they always seemed to think the same things, laughed at the same stupid jokes, had the same knack for causing ruckus, dyed their hair similar colours all the time, had the same taste in music and movies… 

The only big difference Chan could come up with was that Jisung carried a lot more anger and left-over resent for the world and was a lot more unpredictable, while Felix was soft-spoken and careful, endless smiles and sweet words once he had warmed up. 

They were plenty different but Chan once again had difficulty reminding himself of that when Jisung snuggled closer. 

He _knew_ it was Jisung but still, he couldn’t help but hold the boy closer and nuzzle into his hair. 

‘’We’re going to find him hyung,’’ Jisung mumbled with fierce determination, voice a bit muffled from his cheeks being squashed, ‘’We will find him and he’ll be back home with us and we’ll give him all the kisses and cuddles and ice-cream and I’ll even let him borrow Goose-Goose to cuddle at night,’’ 

Chan didn’t know he was that easy to read, but for once he was glad someone understood that he was hurting just as much without having to say it. 

_+x+x+_

A door opening, heavy footsteps getting closer, a kick and metal rattling. 

‘’Do you think he barks?,’’ 

A sneer, some haughty laughing, a hum. 

‘’Would be disappointing if he wouldn’t,’’ 

A sigh. 

‘’How long do we still need to haul this kid around?,’’ 

‘’Not much longer I think,’’ 

‘’Good,’’ 

_+x+x+_

Changbin’s muscles ached and burned when he stepped into their apartment, the result of maybe too many hours of training at the facility, but he had to do something with his time. 

Because surprisingly, there was little else to do. He knew it was because they couldn’t really do much until Seungmin came through with some leads. Of course they had already done the footwork and ask around but there was little information that was actually helpful so that was that. 

The place was dead silent and even though it was something that was the new norm, Changbin missed the chaos caused by laughter and jokes and even whenever there were petty fights. 

Anyways, he couldn’t appreciate the silence as he made his way to the kitchen. 

It was already well past dinnertime – although that wasn’t really a thing anymore. Changbin couldn’t remember the last time they ate dinner together – and he was very hungry. 

The light was already turned on as he walked in and he figured someone had forgotten to turn it back off again. Usually he would find out who and maybe scold them a little but right now he was tired and didn’t want to add to the tension. 

He went through the cabinets and fridge but found little that could actually fill him up properly, just a bunch of half-eaten bags of crisps and a lot of chocolate. 

It was pretty easy to make the decision to go do some groceries real quick instead of eating freaking chocolate for dinner. 

Changbin spotted a sliver of light coming from the millennial-line’s room right across the kitchen and when he opened the door, he found Minho and Jisung sitting on the latter’s bed - the younger leaning back into Minho’s chest – and Jeongin on Hyunjin’s bed. 

‘’I’m going to do groceries. Anything particular you want me to get?,’’ 

Jisung shook his head, melting into Minho even more as he focussed on the phone in his hand. Minho waved him off as well. 

'’Innie?,’’ 

The youngest looked up from whatever book he was reading and shook his head, looking a bit longer at Changbin before he turned away again. 

He knew the rest were still out so he left it at that and closed the door, briskly walking to the front door when his stomach once again let him know that he was hungry. He didn’t get very far before he heard a door getting thrown open and someone walking up to him. 

‘’I’ll come with you,’’ Jeongin mumbled when Changbin turned around. 

Before he could comment, Jeongin already brushed passed him with his jacket on, quickly stepping into his shoes. 

Jeongin had about just as much dislike of getting out as Jisung so maybe Changbin was a bit worried that their youngest had decided to come with him without anyone asking him to. 

‘’Okay?,’’ the older mumbled, ‘’let’s go,’’ 

They found themselves walking side-to-side, the cold night air actually pretty nice. Changbin knew it was just because he was still a bit overheated and that the chilliness would start to creep in really soon, but for now he just enjoyed it. 

Jeongin seemed less appreciative and had his shoulders almost up to his ears, sniffling every now and then and his hands deeply tucked away in the pockets of his jacket. 

Anyways, with the cold night also came a very silent street. There were little cars as they ventured closer to the more busy part of the area and there weren’t a lot of people around either. Changbin was glad to get out for a little, even if it was to buy as much instant ramen as they could carry and way too much chilled coffee and energy drinks. 

It was a miracle they were all still alive, looking at their food-consumption. 

But what was a little diabetes or clogged up arteries if you were on the hunt, right? There was enough time to regret after they had gotten Felix back. Or if they were to end up in a shallow grave. Either way, right now was not really the time. 

Jeongin let out a long sigh and actually got one hand out of his pockets to push his bangs out of his face. 

‘’Are you that bothered?,’’ Changbin mused, trying to add some humour to the situation. 

The younger shook his head with another sigh, ‘’No,’’ 

Jeongin didn’t elaborate any further for reasons Changbin couldn’t figure out. It wasn’t a first because he was starting to have difficulty to read the members and it was probably the biggest contributor to his stress. Everyone was starting to get more and more closed off. 

Nowadays he didn’t even feel like he could reach Chan and it had brought a certain awkwardness with it. 

It was supposed to be a quick run; get two of those boxes with cheap ramen, grab some drinks on the way to the counter, pay, and gone. 

They didn’t get very far with the usual routine because as soon as Changbin lifted a box from the floor and turned to pass it to Jeongin, the heard the little bell and a figure stepping into the store. 

Nothing to get bothered by, but Changbin thought he saw a very familiar-looking tattoo peeking out of the guy’s jacket. 

Changbin didn’t say anything as gently put the box back down so he wouldn’t alert anyone before he pushed Jeongin behind one of the shelves, himself following and peeking around the corner. 

It really was as clear as day; a worn-out jacket with a faded depiction of a Chimpanzee on the back. 

Over the last months, they hadn’t gotten a lot to go off, but after finding a similar looking jacket left behind at one of the locations they had busted into it clicked. 

The Monkeys were a rather small underground gang, mostly made up of middle-aged men. They were pretty harmless, spending most of their time trading and selling stolen or illegal goods, but it seemed they had gotten proven wrong. 

From the records they were never really associated with any shadier or darker business but through the grapevine Hyunjin had heard rumours that the Monkeys had been hired by an organisation. What for, they didn’t know, neither did they have any clue what organisation would hire a rather low gang. 

Of course they had relayed it all to JYP and they had been ordered to get to the bottom of it, just to see if it was anything to be worried about. 

They had been right-smack in the middle of it all, close to being sure that one of the biggest hospitals were in cahoots with the Monkeys, when Felix had been simply swept off the street on his way back home. 

Which had been just as shocking as it had been suspicious. 

What a timing. 

‘’Holy shit,’’ Jeongin whispered, seemingly having caught up, ‘’Holy fucking shit,’’ 

They watched with bated breath as the guy pointed out a pack of cigarettes, swiping his card a little later and stepping out the store without uttering a single word. 

Changbin ditched the little basket and took a couple of hasty steps before Jeongin stopped him, ‘’what are you doing?,’’ 

‘’We’re following the guy,’’ the older mumbled back, tugging Jeongin with him and out of the door. 

He was glad they had the darkness of the evening to cover them, but it made it very difficult to keep his eyes on the figure as well. 

‘’What? Are you insane?! We can’t do that, not without the rest of the team and a decent plan,’’ Jeongin hissed back, reluctantly keeping in step with Changbin. 

‘’Does it look like we have time for that?,’’ Changbin mumbled as he motioned to the guy disappearing behind a corner, ‘’This is the first time we spot one of them in months. We can’t let the opportunity slip,’’ 

Maybe it was the lack of action lately or the boredom, but Jeongin didn’t protest anymore and actually picked up his pace. 

They crept through alleys and silent little streets, trying to stay as far away as possible without losing the guy. 

They ended up at a rather small warehouse – how typical - at the edge of the city, Jeongin and Changbin tucked away behind a small van across the road. The guy stopped in front of the door and knocked a couple of times before the door opened, it falling shut as soon as the guy had stepped inside. 

Now, that smart thing to do was remember the place, go back home, inform the others and come up with a plan. 

But no matter how many times he told himself that, he _needed_ to get inside. Right now. He didn’t even feel like calling for back-up and wait. 

‘’Hyung,’’ Jeongin spoke, ‘’See the building next to it?,’’ 

The buildings weren’t quite touching, but they might as well have been with how close they were built together. Changbin didn’t think that even Jisung could squeeze himself in there. 

Now that he looked a little closer, he saw that two windows were facing each other at the exact same spot. 

What a design-flaw. Thank god. 

If they were lucky, they could get into the other building and cross over without much problem. It seemed like a pretty decent plan because Changbin was pretty sure it was abandoned, if the fact that there were no lights on and the doors were slightly ajar was anything to go by. 

'’Come on,’’ Changbin motioned as he snuck to the building on the left, Jeongin following him without objection. 

Like he had thought, it was easy to get inside and it was very much abandoned, so much so that there was dust everywhere and all kind of dirt laying around. It was also very freaking dark but their eyes were trained enough to handle it. 

The stairs were found easily and before they knew it, Jeongin was prying open the window. It was a little rusted but the younger had it open in no time anyways. To their luck, the other window was already opened a bit so it was very easy to cross and slip in. 

They landed on some sort of platform inside but with a quick look around Changbin saw it was actually a wooden catwalk going all around the walls in the building. 

Jeongin was already shuffling to the edge and despite his clumsy nature, he was so silent that even Changbin couldn’t hear him even though they were right next to each other. 

The older followed suit and soon they were peeking down. 

There were about three other guys in the space as well, doing nothing much but balance on their chairs and play around with whatever they had in their hands. 

It almost felt like they were posted there for a reason, like they were there to stand guard, which was really odd because there was nothing really inside here, let alone something of value. 

‘’Hyung,’’ Jeongin whispered after a long silence, clearly pointing, ‘’What would that be?,’’ 

Changbin let out a confused hum and followed where the boy was pointing, only to see something boxy in the corner of the room. There was a large black cloth thrown over it, clearly intended to mask something. 

‘’I don’t know. A crate of weapons maybe?,’’ he replied as he looked at the younger. 

This was probably a bust. There really was nothing here and the people below them weren’t even talking. They could lay here all night and still not get any wiser. 

‘’Let’s go b-,’’ 

Changbin cut himself off when the look in Jeongin’s eyes changed, in such a drastic manner that he felt the blood in his veins freeze over. 

Not a second later he heard a gunshot and they both scrambled back on instinct, right in time to see a bullet go through the wood they had just been laying on and into the ceiling. 

Changbin hadn’t heard gunshots in a long while – not counting those at the shooting range – so he hated the fact that he froze up for a second instead of getting on his feet. ‘’We have rats!,’’ one of the men bellowed. 

Luckily Changbin unfroze just in time to get a hold of Jeongin’s arm, the latter struggling to get up. There was more yelling as they bolted back to the window and Changbin pushed the younger back through the window, cursing under his breath as he heard heavy boots clunking up the stairs. 

Jeongin made it through clear enough and Changbin followed suit. He was about to pull his last leg through when there was another shot, this time a burning pain tearing into his thigh. 

‘’Fuck!,’’ Changbin huffed before throwing himself out. 

Jeongin had already been standing in the other building with his hands out and he somehow managed to pull Changbin inside. 

‘’Hyung, your leg,’’ Jeongin almost screeched as Changbin pulled himself up with a little help from the wall. He waved the younger off and pointed to the stairs. 

‘’We get out of here, now,’’ 

Luckily, Jeongin caught up and nodded. 

They sprinted – in Changbin’s case; hopped – through alleyways and storage buildings and not once stopped to take a breath. Fortunately for them, they had lost the monkeys pretty quick. 

‘’I think we’re good,’’ Jeongin panted as they finally came to a stop at an alley leading up to the main road and Changbin sunk to the ground immediately, rolling on his back and letting out a long groan. 

His thigh felt like it was on fire, but not the way it did after a good workout. It was a disgusting feeling when the lukewarm blood turned cold on his skin. 

At least he thought it hadn’t hit bone when he took a quick glance at the entry-wound. Jeongin kneeled down next to him with a quick look around before mumbling a ‘sorry’ and pressing down hard on the wound. 

Changbin clenched his teeth and told himself to keep taking steady breaths. In through his nose, out through his mouth. 

‘’I have to call Chan,’’ Jeongin informed as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. 

Changbin wasn’t really looking forward to getting scolded but he knew it wasn’t something to be worried about, not when he was pretty sure the bullet had nicked a large vein somewhere. The flow of blood was too speedy for it not to. 

The phone didn’t ring for long. 

‘’Hyung, come get us,’’ Jeongin hastily spoke in the phone, pressing down even harder on Changbin’s thigh. 

The latter groaned when another wave of pain hit. He had honestly forgotten the pain of getting shot and it wasn’t a nice reminder. 

For a little bit Changbin zoned out and all he could think about was how stupid he had been for not eating at least something before going out. Maybe it would’ve helped with the nausea or the way the world was starting to tilt on its axis. He was also starting to get really cold, to the point he could feel himself shake and even he himself couldn’t determine whether it was because they weren’t moving anymore or because of the blood loss. 

He hoped it wasn’t the latter because that would be bad. 

He must’ve been stuck in his head like that for a pretty long time because when he managed to focus again, he saw two figures running up to them. 

Through hazy eyes Changbin could see the sickening worry on Chan’s face and the tears threatening to fall down Hyunjin’s. 

‘’What the fuck happened?!,’’ Hyunjin almost screeched as he sat down next to Changbin and Jeongin, pushing the youngest aside before tearing open Changbin’s jeans from the little hole the bullet had made. 

There was a collective hiss, combined with some mumbled cursing and Changbin figured he was a little fucked. 

‘’Explain later,’’ Chan butted in as he pulled Jeongin to his feet, hastily pressing the car keys in his bloody hands, ‘’Start the car, we’ll get him there,’’ 

Jeongin gave a determined nod before speeding off and disappearing around the corner. Changbin was really starting to feel woozy now and a little nauseous as Hyunjin and Chan pulled him to his feet. He didn’t mean to but his head was way to heavy to hold up and rolled to the side. 

‘’Okay Binnie, stay awake now,’’ Chan mumbled into his ear and Changbin realised he really fucking missed Chan despite living in the same house. 

Everything after that was way too hazy. All Changbin could register was a lot of talking, a lot of sharp corners that made him want to throw up and a throbbing pain in his thigh before he passed out. 

**Author's Note:**

> To any people from the USA reading this, this European is blatantly going to assume things based on - what I think is - the general demographics of those reading this and say congrats on winning a very, very important election. This is the first step to hopefully a better future. There's lots to be done, a lot of things to be fixed and even though it will take time and maybe not all goals will be met, it is a very hopeful beginning.


End file.
